First Responder Mental Health Network Collaboration

Composition of the FRMHNC

The First Responder Mental Health Network Collaboration (FRMHNC) brings together leadership from: the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute (uOBMRI) in partnership with the University of Ottawa, Department of Psychiatry; the Office of Jody Mitic, City of Ottawa Sports Commission; the City of Ottawa: Police, Paramedic and Fire Services, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP); the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Centre; the Tema Conter Memorial Trust (TEMA); Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters Association; and, 9 Run Run to address barriers currently impeding First Responder mental health, while enabling discussions regarding strategies to broaden access to care.

The long-term sustainable vision for this collaborative venture aims to: establish standardization amongst municipal, provincial and federal organizations engaged in this collaboration with dissemination and access to mental health resources, debriefing post critical incidents; recommend amendments to the current structure of the City of Ottawa’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to enhance current counseling services available to First Responders; further enhance access for First Responders in crisis by having a mental health professional on retainer, specifically serving the tri-services; and to establish one major center servicing first responder mental health.

The Goals of the FRMHNC

The ultimate establishment of a First Responder Mental Health Center will allow for the creation of a unified mental health strategy within the City of Ottawa and will subsequently create a baseline for First Responder-specific services, aimed to efficiently distribute mental health resources across the Ottawa Region.

The diverse partners within this network will provide guidance on a large scope of topics relating to First Responder mental health in order to affect and advocate for policy change to benefit First Responders. This may include, but is not limited to:

Addressing current structural issues or barriers that exist within First Responder communities;

Advising researchers on potential research projects/questions, methodological standards in the design and knowledge translation relating to First Responder mental health research;

Establishing best practices guidelines for individuals within the context of shift work, trauma, and psychosocial hazard;

Publications

FRMHNC Partners

All ideas and opinions expressed on this website have been made available by the Hatching Ideas research group for educational purposes only and represent solely the opinions of this group. The ideas and topics represented here should not in any way be considered a substitute for medical advice from a licensed practitioner, and are intended only to promote general discussion and the exchange of ideas. If you have any questions about the content of this website, please contact nedgar@toh.ca